1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hinged vehicle door which may be selectively immobilized in a number of locations ranging from fully open to fully closed.
2. Related Art
Hinged doors are frequently used by vehicle occupants to assist during ingress and egress of the vehicle. In essence, the vehicle door is utilized as a steady rest to enable the vehicle occupant to move himself or herself either into or out of a vehicular space, such as a seat. The present inventors have determined that usage of the door in this manner would be enhanced by the ability to immobilize the door in mid-swing. As shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,681,444, it is known to provide an apparatus which allows the door to be checked in any one of a number of positions, from fully opened to fully closed. However, the system of the '444 patent does not immobilize the door; rather, the system of the '444 patent merely increases the amount of force needed to move the door, while clearly providing that this force may be overridden and the door closed against the action of the door check. This renders the system of the '444 patent inapposite to solution of the present problem, because a door which swings free after the application of an indeterminate amount of force could inhibit the ingress/egress process by starting to swing at an inopportune time.
It would be desirable to provide an automotive door with a repositionable immobilizer permitting the door to be placed in any position and rotationally locked against further movement, so as to resist a reasonable and predictable level of force imposed by a motorist using the door to assist in entering or leaving a vehicle.